The Comfort of Family
by SSEE729
Summary: After being beaten by her boyfriend- someone she thought she could trust, Amber sits all alone on the front steps of her house in pain. That is until a fmaily member shows up and gives her comfort. Rated T for language and some themes of abuse.
1. Chapter 1

My first Parenthood fanfic! Please review, it really keeps me motivated :) I don't own any of the characters or the show.

Just for this story, Sidney doesn't exist, Julia and Joel have no kids, and Crosby doesn't know about Jabbar yet.

_Why do I always do this? Why do I always fall for the wrong guy? Get in these situations? Screw up? _Amber thought to herself as she walked across the grass of her grandparent's front yard. The finish line of the nearly seven miles she had to walk home from her so-called boyfriend's apartment.

It had happened again. She had convinced herself that this was a normal guy. A good guy. A guy that would treat her right. That actually liked her for who she was. Wrong. Again. As usual.

At first Grant- Amber's "boyfriend" had seemed cool. He didn't smoke like all the other guys Amber was involved with in the past, and he seemed to make good decisions. He genuinely cared for her- or at least that's what she thought, and she thought that this guy-Grant- would be a good influence on her. Help her in her continued goal to turn her life around. How wrong she was.

Amber had first noticed Grant's increasingly rude behavior a few weeks back. He became intensely clingy to her- always had to know where she was, who she was there with, and why. He wouldn't let her talk to any other guys-even those that were distinctly just friends, and would only allow her to socialize with certain people. Only the people he approved of- who were limited in comparison to himself.

Amber had confronted him about it and he had brushed it off as nothing- he just said it was because he cared for her so much. That he loved her. He had used the L word, and Amber had believed him. Deceived by her own intense want for a boy to like her for who she actually was. And even though deep down inside she probably knew that he didn't mean it- her heart tricked her yet again, and she forgave him.

But now it was different. Today Amber had talked to some guy- Owen- at school. Owen was a close friend of hers. That was it. _Just_ friends. She had known Owen long before she met Grant and wasn't willing to give up their friendship for one of Grant's stupid rules. And it really cost her.

She had gotten a ride with Grant back to his apartment after school as planned and everything seemed fine in the car. It wasn't until they had gotten back to Grant's apartment- a confined space where nobody could see them- that things had turned bad.

Grant had confronted her about her chat with Owen. And Amber, seeing it as silly to have to not talk to one of her best friends just because Grant said so, openly told him off. She had smiled as she said, "Yea, Grant. I was talking to my _friend_ Owen. My _friend_." She laughed sarcastically and shrugged at Grant.

It only took him a split second to wind up and hit her across the face hard with his fist. "Don't you disrespect me, bitch!" He yelled at her. His face fuming red and showing no sign of calming down any time soon.

The hit had sent Amber to the floor where she had smacked her head off the kitchen tiles hard enough to cause her to black out for a split second before getting up. But Amber was tough and she _did_ get up. She also fought back with words. "What the _hell_ is your problem, Grant!" She screamed back at him.

"Don't you dare talk back to me, slut!" Grant yelled getting right up close to her face before he shoved her back down to the ground. "I told you that you couldn't talk to other guys! I'm the only one! You bitch! You can't even follow some simple rules? You're so stupid Amber!" Grant shouted as he stood directly over her. He kicked her a few times before she started crying, and when that started, he only kicked her harder.

"You're such a baby, Amber!" He yelled at her forcefully. "You can't handle anything I ask you to do. But apparently you can be a slut and talk to all the other guys in the school!"

With one last kick Grant stepped away from Amber and turned his back. It seemed to Amber that he went to get some type of weapon. A baseball bat, a knife, any type of tool- it didn't matter. Amber knew she was fading fast and barely had any strength left. She grew scared and became extremely worried. _He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me._ Was all that was going through her mind. And she was probably right.

With Grant gone for the moment, Amber had started to crawl toward the door. She had no idea what she would do when she got there- she had no car, no ride, no money. But she had to get out of there. She knew she did.

She crawled as fast as she could with what she knew had to be at least several fractured ribs and with her nose and mouth dripping blood down her cheek. Her left eye throbbed and she could actually feel it beginning to bruise. She was about three quarters of the way to the door when Grant came out of nowhere. He had stepped directly in her path holding a metal baseball bat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Grant asked cynically. He swung the bat down hard toward Amber and she was able to doge the first blow. Bu then came the second. And the third. And the fourth.

After one blow to the stomach, one blow to the ankle, and one to her head, Amber managed to grab the closest thing to her. A lamp on the table beside the living room couch. It wasn't that big but it was metal and it was hard and it would do. She grabbed it up off the table and swung with all her might- thinking about all the restrictions he had put on her, the rude behavior, and the current beating he was giving her really added to her diminishing strength. And as he motioned forward to hit her with the bat once again, she hit him off the head with the lamp.

Grant was stunned for a second, fell to the ground, and lay there for a minute or two. But that was all she needed. It was a sufficient amount of time for her to be able to crawl to the door, and manage to get herself out of Grant's apartment.

That had been at least three hours ago. And during those three hours Amber had walked back to her grandparent's house where she was currently staying with her mom and her brother. She had walked the entire seven miles from Grant's apartment to her house with all her broken ribs, ankle injury, and bleeding face. Of course she had limped most of the way. Had to stop now and then to rest her throbbing ribs. But she had made it. She was tough and she had made it.

Now she crossed the grass of the front yard and up to the front door. Her mom was still at work and her brother was at baseball practice, and she was relieved. That would give her some time to hopefully clean up and put some make-up on to cover her injuries before they got home.

She hobbled her way up to the front door and tried the door. Locked. She instinctively went to reach for her key in her back pack when she realized that it was still at Grant's. _Great_. She said out loud to herself. _That's just great._

She plopped down on the front step, all hope of washing off her bloody face, perhaps changing clothes, and putting some more make-up on vanished. Her mom and brother would have to see her as she was. She huffed out a breath of air and rested her head in her hands, concealing her face. And then she began to cry. For the first time since she left Grant's the pain really began to sink in. Sharp pains were shooting across her head every few seconds, her eye throbbed where Grant had punched her, the blood coming from her nose and mouth had dried, but both her nose and mouth still hurt as well. Her ankle, she was pretty sure, was fractured. And her ribs, well, she knew they were too.

She felt scared, terrified, paranoid that he'd come back. Drive up at any second and continue the beating. Now she didn't even care how her mother and brother saw her, all she wanted was someone she could hug and squeeze and feel safe in their arms. She needed family. Anyone, it didn't even matter. As long as it was her family. Someone she knew and trusted. Someone she loved and someone who loved her. Cared for her. Would protect her. Would make her feel safe. Comfort her. Tell her everything was going to be okay.

She starred at the street and waited anxiously for someone to come home. She simply just starred at the drive way for several minutes just waiting. And waiting and waiting and waiting.

Just then, a truck pulled into the driveway. Her heart stopped for a split second when she thought it was Grant- coming to continue her beating. But then it calmed again once she realized who it was. She was so happy that someone was there- a family member was there to comfort her. She would be able to feel safe. Be protected. It was all over. Grant couldn't get to her anymore. It was over. Done.

The man in the truck pulled into the driveway slowly, normally, and at first didn't see Amber sitting on the front steps crying and beaten up. The man put the truck in park, still unaware of Amber sitting on the steps, picked up a box off of the passenger seat, and climbed out of the truck. It was Joel.

Shutting the door to his truck, Joel started walking the rest of the way up to the driveway and to the front door with a box in his hand- something Julia had told him to drop off at her parents' house.

After about two steps away from the truck, Joel looked up and saw Amber sitting on the front steps. Alone. Bruised. Bleeding. Hurt. A searing pain tore through his heart and shock froze him in place for a split second. Comprehending the situation, Joel immediately dropped the box from his hands- let it hit the ground- and sprinted the rest of the way to Amber.

"Amber" He cried out almost in question form. The pain from his heart was clearly displayed across his facial expressions. He bent down quickly and placed a reassuring hand on Amber's shoulder for a quick second before enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Are you okay? What happened? Who did this to you?" Joel spit out all at once. He was talking incredibly fast and was growing concerned for his niece's well-being. He hugged her again, pressing her softly up against his chest. And for the first time in hours Amber felt safe. She felt protected, comforted by her Uncle Joel. And she laid her head on his chest and simply cried into his shirt for several minutes before talking. Joel comforted her by rubbing her back and holding her head close to him with his reassuring hand.

"It's alright Amber" He started to reassure her. "Whatever happened, it's all over now. Okay?" He asked her comfortingly. "I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. I promise." He reassured her.

Amber nodded into his chest slowly. "I know" She managed through a shaky voice. "Thank you Uncle Joel" Her voice broke and she started to cry even harder than before. She wrapped her arms even tighter around Joel and continued to cry into his shirt.

"It's okay, honey. It's okay now. It's alright." He told her as he stoked her hair with a comforting hand. He continued to give her a reassuring hug, and they remained embraced for quite a while longer.

After several minutes of silence and of Joel simply trying- and succeeding- to comfort Amber, she spoke again. She only spoke three words but they made him explode with anger on the inside.

"It was Grant"


	2. I'll Be Right There

_**Thanks for all the reviews, sorry for not updating earlier! Please continue to read and review!**_

Joel was fuming with anger on the inside. He was absolutely pissed off. He wanted to go to that bastard's house and beat the crap out of him. See how _he_ liked it. But he couldn't. Or wouldn't. Or maybe both. He was with Amber. Amber needed him. He couldn't lose control.

"That ass" Joel said forcefully, strongly, angrily. He let it slip out. He couldn't be thinking about that bastard right now. He had to think of Amber. _Get Amber safe._ He told himself. _Get her cleaned up. Make her feel better._

"He's just . . .he's not who I thought he was" Amber said through a shaky voice. A few more tears slid down her face and she wiped them away. "I should have known" She said sadly.

"No. Amber, no." Joel tightened his grip on his niece. "This is not your fault, you understand me? You didn't do anything wrong. You don't deserve this. The guy's a jerk." He could tell that she was blaming the whole situation on herself and his heart hurt at the idea of it.

"I . . .I . . ." Amber stuttered, wiped a few tears from her face, and started again. "I gave him another chance . . .he was being all weird, and I . . .I . . ."

"Amber" Joel cut her off. "Honey, Grant is the one to blame. He should never have hurt you. He's the one that you should be blaming. He's the one you should be mad at. Not yourself, sweetheart. This was not your fault at all. Not at all" He rubbed her shoulder comfortingly and she tried to nod, but received an instant headache. She reached for her head with her arm, but her ribs ached, and she dropped her arm down again.

Joel noticed this with concern. "We should probably go to the hospital, have you looked at." He started to get up from the step but Amber reached for him, and he turned to face her.

"No . . .no. I don't think I need to . . .I'm fine" She winced. Joel could tell she was scarred and it was obvious that she really didn't want to go to the hospital. He pursed his lips.

"No your not" He said slowly as he bent back down toward her. "Your hurt. Your in pain. You need to see a doctor. You could have a concussion . . . broken bones . . ." He motioned toward her head and then toward her ribs and now swollen, black and blue, ankle.

Amber whimpered as he reached to help her to her feet. She knew that she was in pain. She knew that she needed to see a doctor. She just didn't want to go. She wanted this whole thing to be over. She wanted to forget it ever happened, move on. How was she supposed to do that at a hospital where everyone was looking at her and asking her questions?

"It's okay" Joel said as he crouched and grabbed onto Amber's hand. "I'll take you . . . I'll call your mom and I'll be there with you the whole time. Don't be scarred, its okay." He assured her and tried to smile despite the heartbreak he was feeling. Despite the pain he felt when he looked at her bleeding and bruised body. Despite the sickness he felt when he looked into her terrified eyes.

Succumbing to rationality, Amber let Joel ease her up off the step. Sitting there, she hadn't realized how achy her body was, but now that she tried to move, it was extremely painful. She drew in a sharp breath and winced as her ribs burned in pain. She started to cry.

"I'm sorry" Joel said with a face of guilt. He was sorry for the pain the girl felt when she moved. Sorry for the guilt she was feeling. Sorry for Amber for being abused and deceived. Sorry for the situation in general. Sorry for not being able to do something more. Something that may have stopped it.

Joel helped Amber to his truck gingerly, as she leaned her weight on him. He picked her up and placed her on the seat when he realized it was too painful for her to try and climb in. He buckled her seatbelt for her, as she winced trying to reach for it. "I'm sorry" He said again as he closed the door and walked to the driver's side door of his truck. He hopped in quickly and closed the door. Backing out of the driveway and driving down the street in danger of speeding.

_**Ten Minutes Later**_

Amber was leaning on Joel so much that he was practically carrying her as they entered the hospital door. He eased her down gingerly in a chair in the waiting room, and telling her that he'd be right back, walked quickly to the front desk.

"Hi" Joel said, his throat dry. He swallowed hard. "My niece was beat by her boyfriend . . . she's got a headache, and she can barely stand. I'm pretty sure that some of her rib are broken, and her ankle too." He talked extremely fast and the lady tried to write down as much as she could.

"And what's her name?" The lady asked calmly to the not so clam Joel.

"Amber" He shot out, "Amber Holt"

"How old is she?" The woman asked as she typed something into the computer.

"Sixteen" Joel huffed out quickly.

"And her date of birth?" The woman asked.

Joel told her and ran a hand over his face. He looked back at Amber worriedly and then back to the lady.

"And are you her guardian, sir?" The woman asked, still typing on the computer.

"No, no. I have to call her mom" Joel realized. He had forgotten in the heat of things.

He pulled out his phone. "And what is your name, sir?" The woman asked politely.

"Joel Graham" He told her quickly as he listened to the phone ringing. Sara wasn't picking up.

"And you're her mother's brother?" The woman asked, already starting to type it into the computer.

Joel shook his head as he listened to the phone still ringing. "No, I'm her brother-in-law"

"Oh, so your Amber's father's brother?" The woman asked a bit confused.

"No" Joel said quickly, and as politely as he could. It wasn't this woman's fault that Amber had been beat up, he couldn't take out his anger on her. "No I'm Amber's mother's sister's husband" He said quickly, hoping he'd said it right.

"Oh, okay" The lady nodded and typed it into the computer. "You said your name was Joel . . ."

"Graham" Joel finished the sentence for the women who had apparently forgotten his last name.

"Can you spell that please?" The women asked. She knew he really just wanted to get back to his niece, but she wanted to assure that she had the right records. "I know it's a pain" She said.

"G-R-A-H-A-M" He said quickly, and the lady typed it into the computer.

Joel listened to Sara's voicemail. She didn't pick up. "Hey Sara its Joel . . .she's going to be okay, but Amber's at the hospital. I'm here with her now. She was beaten up pretty bad by her boyfriend. I'll explain more later. Call me back." He said trying not to sound as worried as he was. He closed his phone shut and looked at the lady at the desk.

"You can have a seat, Mr. Graham, we'll be with Amber in a few minutes" She nodded and Joel returned to sit next to Amber.

"It'll just be a few minutes" He told her and she nodded before realizing that it would hurt. She closed her eyes for a second and swayed back and forth slightly like she was dizzy.

"Woah . . .woah . . ." Joel said reaching out a hand for her. He got up out of his seat and crouched down in front of her. "Amber?" He asked quickly. "Amber are you okay?" His hands were steadying her by holding her shoulders. She opened her eyes but didn't say anything. "Mmmmhhhh" She mumbled.

"Alright, they're going to see you soon, can you stay awake for me?" Joel was becoming anxious. Maybe she was hurt worse than he thought. He started to become worried. "Amber?" He said when the girl didn't answer him.

"Mmmmmhhhhhh" She mumbled again.

"Alright just keep talking to me, honey" Joel said as he increased his grip on his niece. He looked around for a nurse, saw one, and signaled her over.

"Amber?" He asked her as the nurse got closer. "Amber, sweetie, can you hear me?"

Amber didn't respond as quickly this time. It was a few seconds before she responded. A few very long seconds for Joel.

The nurse read Joel's concerned expression and bent down beside him in front of Amber. "What's your daughter's name, sir?"

"Amber" Joel blurted out quickly, "she's my niece"

"Amber?" The nurse called her. "Amber, honey, can you say something for me?"

Nothing. The nurse reached for her walkie talkie on her belt loop and said something in a concerned tone over it. A few seconds later Joel watched as a few other nurses and some doctors came over and loaded her into a wheelchair, pushing her quickly down the hallway saying a bunch of jumbled things.

Joel jogged quickly beside them. "Amber?" He called to her. "Amber?" He said a little louder. The doctors were saying some more mumbled things that Joel didn't understand. They pushed her behind a door and one of the nurses stopped him before he went through. "I'm sorry, sir you can't go through here" She explained.

"What?" Joel said a little annoyed. "That's my niece" He explained a little annoyed.

"I understand that, sir, but you can't go in that room." She started to turn away from him.

"Well, is she going to be okay?" Joel said quickly, nervously. The woman didn't answer quick enough so he said it again. "Is she going to be okay?" His voice was louder now.

"I'll let you know when we find out more" She nodded and with that she turned away from Joel, leaving him standing in the hallway by himself.

He was annoyed and confused and didn't know what to do. He walked back out into the waiting room and pulled out his cell phone again. He was pacing the floor as he listened to Sara's voicemail again. "Sara, it's Joel again." He said nervously. "I really need you to call me back. Amber was just rushed in, I don't know what's going on. I'm sure she'll be okay." He tried to assure her. He didn't wasn't to make her nervous over the phone. "Just call me back"

He hung up the phone, sitting there, he didn't know what else to do. He opened it up again and called Julia. After three rings she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Julia!" Joel said loudly and quickly, "Amber's in the hospital. She was beaten up by her boyfriend, and I found her when I went to drop that stuff off at your parents. She was just rushed in and I don't know what's going on. I called Sara twice but she's not answering." He spat it out so quickly Julia had to strain to hear what he was saying.

"What!" She said just as nervously as he was. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I don't know." Joel said quickly. "I thought she was but then she became all tired and didn't answer me. Some nurses and doctors came over and rushed her behind some doors I'm apparently not allowed to go through" He said annoyed.

"Hold on, hold on" Julia said just as quickly. "I'll be right there. Try calling Sara again, and then call Adam. I'll call my parents" Julia told him and with that she hung up.

Joel hung up and tried Sara for the third time. Voicemail again. He left another worried message wondering where she was. He hung up and then called Adam.

"Adam Braverman" His brother-in-law said over the phone.

"Adam, it's Joel . . . Amber's in the hospital and I tried calling Sara but she's not answering. Julia's on the way now. Do you know where Sara is?"

"Wait, what? Amber's in the hospital? Is she alright? What happened?" Joel could hear the panic in Adam's voice. He could practically see his terrified face.

"She was beaten up pretty badly by her boyfriend. She was okay but now I don't know. She was rushed into some room; I don't know what's going on." Joel explained for another person. His own voice was becoming shaky. He was extremely nervous and he felt sick in the pit of his stomach.

"I . . .I'll be right there" Adam said quickly.

"Wait!" Joel said just in time for Adam to hear him before he hung up the phone. "Do you know where Sara is?" He repeated. His voice becoming more anxious.

"I . . .no . . .I don't know. I'll try calling her myself . . .I'll see you in a few minutes." Adam hung up before Joel could say anything else.

Joel closed his phone shut tightly and clenched it in his hand. He wanted to throw it at the wall in front of him. He rubbed his hands over his face a few times and stood up quickly to go to the front desk again.

"Do you know anything about the condition of Amber Holt?" He said his throat dry again.

The woman could see the pained expression in Joel's face and typed the name into her computer without hesitating. She looked up apologetically. "Sorry, I don't know. As soon as I know something I'll let you know." She assured him, and Joel returned back to the waiting area disappointedly. He tried to sit down again, but stood up again quickly. He started pacing the floor again.

A few minutes later Julia showed up, and right behind her was Adam. They both walked toward Joel quickly and he walked just as quickly toward them.

"What's going on?" Adam said loudly and nervously. Julia looked from her brother to her husband intently.

Joel shrugged. "I don't know" He said quickly. "I just asked the front desk but she doesn't know anything yet"

"Well, what happened!" Julia asked him anxiously. She took a step closer to him and gave him a hug. "You said she was beat up by her boyfriend?"

"Grant" Joel said angrily. "Yea . . .I think she has a concussion. Some of her ribs might be broken and I think her ankle is too"

Julia gasped and Adam flinched. "Have you gotten a hold of Sara?" Adam asked after a few seconds.

Joel shook his head. "Me neither" Adam said a little annoyed.

"I called mom and dad" Julia said. "They said they'd be right here." Adam and Joel nodded.

"Has anyone called Crosby?" Julia asked looking at both of them. Both shook their heads. "I'll call him" Julia said as she pulled out her phone and walked away from the men.

Joel hung his head for a second and let out a big sigh. He put his hands on his hips and merely starred at the ground. Adam put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey" He said comfortingly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. You did good" He assured him.

Joel nodded but didn't say anything. Adam could tell he was upset, scarred, worried. Joel cleared his throat. "I just . . .seeing her like that . . .I . . ." Joel shook his head and cleared his throat again.

"Hey" Adam said again. "You did good, okay? You did good. We'll find out how she is in a little bit, but I'm sure she's going to be fine."

Joel nodded. He hoped so.

Julia was on the phone with Crosby. She told him as much as she knew and explained as best she could. He was worried too. Just like the rest of them. She could tell he was panicking and wanted, just as much as she and Joel and Adam did, to know what was going on.

"I'll be right there" He told her and hung up. Julia made her way over to the men again and told them that Crosby was on his way.

"So where is Sara?" Adam said getting even angrier. He opened his phone and called her again. Julia and Joel exchanged a look. They knew he was mad, but knew well enough not to say anything.

"Sara its Adam, _again_" He said sternly into the phone. "I don't know where you are, but your daughter's in the hospital. We would all really appreciate it if you could answer your phone and come here sometime today" he hung up, slamming his phone shut and jamming it back into his pocket.

A few minutes later Adam walked up to the front desk with Joel and Julia. "Do you know anything about Amber Holt?" He asked as nicely as he could.

The woman checked again. "Sorry, nothing yet"

The three walked back over to where they were standing before and Julia pulled out her phone to call Sara. She listened to the phone ringing, and then to Sara's voicemail. She left another message.

In the twenty minutes that it took Crosby to get there, Adam had called Sara three more times, Julia twice, and Joel twice. Nothing yet.

Crosby hurried over to the group as he entered the waiting room. "What's going on? Is she okay?" The two questions were slurred into more of one as he spoke so fast.

The group shrugged. "We don't know" Julia told him. "The front desk doesn't know anything yet.

Crosby looked around, rubbing his hands over his face. "Where's Sara?" He asked confused.

Adam's face expressed disgust and Julia and Joel gave him a look that told him to be prepared for Adam's rant.

"I don't know!" Adam said loudly. "We've called her like twenty times and she's not answering" Adam cocked his head violently and started pacing. He shrugged, "I have no idea where she is"

Just then Camille and Zeke walking in. Both looking as worried as the rest of the group. "Where is she?" Zeke spat out. "Is she okay?" Camille anxious as them all said very softly.

"We don't know" Adam explained to them. "The front desk doesn't know anything. Joel tried to go with her into the room, but they wouldn't let him."

Zeke looked from Adam to Joel who nodded. "She is my granddaughter and I'll see her if I want to" He said forcefully. They all knew better than to argue with him, so nobody stopped him as he walked up to the front desk.

"My name is Zeke Braverman" He said sternly. "My granddaughter is Amber Holt, and I would like to know what's going on" He said even more sternly than before.

The woman looked back at him with confusion and a little bit of fear. Joel felt bad for her.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know what's going on with your granddaughter. They haven't posted a status yet." The woman shrugged. "As soon as I know something I'll let you know."

"Can't I just go into the room and find out myself?" Zeke said angrily. "If you people won't tell me then I'll find out myself!" He started toward the door.

"Sir, you can't . . . you aren't allowed back there" The lady had gotten up from her desk and motioned toward Zeke.

Adam and Crosby walked over toward their father quickly, grabbing him by the arms and bringing him back toward everyone else. "Dad, c'mon" Crosby said as they grabbed him. "They don't know anything yet" Adam said.

"She's my granddaughter!" Zeke reasoned loudly as he tried to break free from his sons' grips. "I'll go see her if I want to" He said forcefully.

"No, Dad!" Adam said as he tightened his grip.

"Dad, you're just making things worse, just calm down" Crosby told him as they finally managed to bring him back over to the group.

"She's my granddaughter!" Zeke said angrily as he plopped own in a chair.

"And she's my niece" Crosby said, the most serious he had been in a while. "But you don't see me trying to barge my way in. They'll tell us when they know something Dad."

Adam looked to his brother with a new sense of admiration. So did Zeke who nodded. "I know" He said softly. "Alright"

Sara cracked a joke at a customer as she handed him another beer. He handed her a tip and she placed it in the jar. She decided that she better check in at home, seeing as how she was working late. She reached under the bar to get her phone and turned it on.

There were sixteen missed calls and she knew something was up. She called her voicemail quickly and listened carefully. She saw that the first one was from Joel.

She only listened to a few words of it and heard even less. _Amber's in the hospital._ She quickly exited the voicemail and called her brother in law. Her heart was racing and her hands were sweating.

Joel felt his phone vibrating and answered it before looking at the caller id.

"Sara!" He let out relieved. He only heard a few of Sara's jumbled, hurried, anxious words before Adam ripped the phone out of his hand.

"Sara!" Adam yelled into the phone. "Where are you? Where have you been?" He looked around at the group who were all looking intently back at him.

"Adam I don't really feel like explaining myself right now!" She yelled back "I just want to know if Amber's alright"

"I don't know" Adam said a little calmer. He knew Sara was already scarred and he didn't want to upset her even more by yelling at her. "We don't know anything yet"

"I'm on my way right now." Sara said nervously. "I'll be right there."


End file.
